Willing To Live Just One More Day
by remy-moon
Summary: Okay, Harry and Ginny are at the Final Battle. Life is not assured. Will one be able to live without the other?


Disclaimer: I do not own anything by J.K. Rowling, all characters, and plots belong to her. I'm just writing a little version of my own.

Dedicated to… So many people to choose from! Let's make it Padfoot, but "not Scott". She's awesome, my best friend, and ally. What else? That's all because everyone knows she's awesome.

* * *

**Willing To Live Just One More Day**

(Ending One of Two)

"Harry, no watch out!" Ginny cried out to Harry, as he knelt beside the fallen body of his best friend.

Harry looked up in time to cast a blocking charm around himself and Ron. Ginny held off a few Death Eaters as Harry patched up the others next to him. Ron had been stunned, and hexed, but was out cold. A few other Order members were laid next to him; they had been stunned or hexed as well.

They were in a forested area somewhere outside of Britain. The inky sky was barely visible through the towering trees. Yet, even though it was the darkest of nights, the forest shone brightly with vibrantly coloured spells flying this way and that. As Ginny continued casting spells from the undergrowth, Harry appeared beside her.

"Have you seen him yet?" he asked her with eyes narrowed, looking for the wretched creature with red eyes.

She turned to see Harry, looking out into the forest with shining eyes. They were full of rage, and his body emitted a strong feeling of courage. This was the boy- now a fully-grown man- who young wizards and witches everywhere had been looking up to for years. She felt her heart soften at the sight of him. His bravery, kindness, and reclusive-ness had taken a hold of her heart. Ginny longed to be with Harry forever. Just then, Harry caught her staring.

"What?" he asked, blushing slightly.

"Oh, nothing, sorry," she said, which was a perfect lie from years of practice. She turned to the injured party behind them.

"So, you haven't seen him then?" he asked, turning his head back to the ongoing war in front of him. "I have to fight, Ginny," he said, not turning his eyes from the scene unfolding before them.

"I know, but I don't want you getting hurt."

"Yes… Ginny- fight alongside me," he said. His face was hard from all the years full of unhappy times. His eyes softened slightly, a ray of friendship breaking through their normal wall of green flames.

"Of course I will! I'm always here for you," she said, grinning, and pulling her wand out of her back pocket.

"You know, you could blow off your behind keeping your wand in your back pocket, like that," he said, trying to conceal a smile, but failing miserably. This is what Moody had told him so many years ago.

"Well, I only picked up the habit from none other than himself, Mr. Willing-to-save-Ginny's-butt-but-not-my-own!"

"Alright, alright, you got me there. Let's go," he said.

"Okay. Any particular plan in mind?" she asked him, while concentrating on a spell to placed around the injured.

"Not really, leave Voldemort to me, and otherwise shoot at anything with black robes because-"

"Because purple ones are Order members, I know, I know. How many Death Eaters are gone?" she asked, as a circle of electric blue light appeared at the tip of her wand.

"Well, out of the original one hundred, fifteen are dead, five are mortally wounded, and seven are either missing limbs or organs," he said, glancing at the back of his hand, where the imprint of numbers glowed orange. The Order have given Harry, and ten of their top aurours a spell to have the numbers instantly updated. This helped keep track of the Death Eaters, and the Orders' status.

"Will you teach me that spell when it's all over, Harry?" she asked glancing at his hand. She had completed her own spell, and leaned back on her feet surveying the outcome with pleasure.

"Okay, but only if you teach me that one," he said, gesturing to her electric blue dome of safety.

"Oh this? No problem, it's actually pretty easy," she said still kneeling. He helped her to her feet.

"Are you ready?" he asked, clenching his teeth together, preparing himself mentally for the upcoming fight with the Dark Lord.

"If I wasn't before, I am now," she said, with a determined voice.

All the Death Eaters had either been hurt, and ran off, or had decided to leave, because there wasn't a single one in sight. She sighed, and the two started off, leaving the others behind in the safety of the blue dome.

………

Harry and Ginny darted between the trees, looking for Voldemort and fighting along the way. Ginny had wanted to stop more than once to help the wounded, but Harry urged her on. He wanted to find Voldemort.

After what seemed like hours, Harry finally came to a stop. Both of them were panting heavily. Harry turned his eyes towards Ginny. She was leaning up against an incredibly tall maple tree, with her eyes closed.

"I'd understand if you wanted to turn back, you know," he said.

She opened her eyes. "Do you think I'd leave you here to wait for the bloody lord of darkness? Just because I'm a girl, Potter, doesn't mean I don't have courage. I was placed in Gryffindor for a reason."

He smiled at her reply, "I'll take that as a no, then?"

She glared at him, and he said quickly, "Sorry, sorry. I know you wouldn't leave me, I thought I might ask anyway."

"Good then, let's get going," she said, standing without the assistance of the tree.

She had only taken a step forward, when she stopped. Her jaw dropped open, and her eyes grew very wide. Ginny slumped to the ground, to her knees, with a look of shock and pain on her face.

"Gin!" Harry started to rush over but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the rustling of leaves behind him. He whipped around as Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort appeared out of the shadows. Bella's face sported a huge, malicious smile, and Voldemort stood with what Harry thought was a glad expression.

"Aw, Baby Potter! We meet again. Is this your girlfriend?" Bellatrix taunted.

His eyes darted to Ginny's huddled form. She scowled at him and shook her head. The look she gave him pretty much said to whip out the magic and kill Voldemort now.

"This isn't between me and you. This is between Voldemort and me. If he sends his girlfriend to do the dirty work, it just gives me more reason to think of him as a scumbag," he said in a calm but angry voice.

"Bella, stand aside. Do not kill the Weasley girl; we'll need a witness to verify Potter's death. Just watch as I defeat the boy who is naïve enough to believe he can rid the world of me."

………

What happened next was a blur of light and flesh. Ginny knew that Harry could win she could feel it. She glanced in Bellatrix's direction; all of her attention was focused on the two dueling before her. Though Ginny was in pain, she slowly drew her wand. Still kneeling, she whispered two deadly words- "heorte teran." This spell ripped open Bellatrix's heart from the inside, leading to internal bleeding, that would kill her within- at the most- thirty minutes. Bellatrix stood for a moment before clutching at the area of her heart. She turned to Ginny wand out.

"You little blood traitor.You'd be dead if my master hadn't asked me not to kill you." Bellatrix looked Ginny over carefully before continuing, "You think you have chance with Potter over there? I have better chances with him, and he loathes me," she said, stumbling closer with each step.

Bellatrix had touched a nerve. "Harry and I are just friends. We'll be friends until death and beyond," she whispered angrily.

"Oh really? So if I, let's say, mortally wounded you, you wouldn't mind not telling him how you really feel?"

"I only feel friendship."

"Well, then, you won't mind me doing this- DIFFINDO, DIFFINDO, DIFFINDO!"

Ginny put her hand to her stomach, and doubled over completely. She took one hand off her the open flesh; it was covered in blood. She cringed after looking downward; her shirt and pants were bloody as well. Her stomach held three deep gashes, shining red. It was becoming harder to breathe, and all was going black. She heard Bellatrix's bumbling footsteps stop above her, and something was dripped into her wounds. There was a sharp intake of breath, and she could feel a new searing pain course through her body. Just before everything went completely black, she saw a flash of green light, and a voice shout out "Avada Kedavra."

………

Harry turned triumphantly to where Ginny was kneeling. His body ached, but a dark weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders. The smile was wiped away when he saw Ginny hunched over with Bellatrix looming closer. He saw Bellatrix take out a small vile, and before he could stop the demon, she poured the clear, liquid contents onto Ginny's robes.

"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Bellatrix fell to the ground, stiff as a board. A feeling of regret filled Harry, but was quickly replaced with worry. Harry rushed to Ginny's side, and fell to the ground beside her. The stained, dark crimson, shirt stood out against the yellow, and pale green leaves around her. He moved the bottom of the shirt, to see what was causing her to bleed. After seeing the deep gashes, he whipped off his jacket, wrapped it tightly around her middle. He lifted her limp body in his arms and apparated.

He appeared at the door of St. Mungo's. Already swarming with victims of the war, Harry shoved his way through the crowd. Finally, he made his way to the front of the line.

"Nurse. Injured, badly. Need assistance," he was able to pant to the clearly disheveled nurse.

"Okay, I'll need you to fill out these papers…" she replied in a tired voice, placing a large stack of papers and a quill on top of the counter in front of him.

Harry's eyes narrowed with rage. "Treat her now," he said dangerously.

She hesitated, "No, you have to fill out these papers first."

"I said now."

The woman took one look at Harry; sweaty, dirty, scraped and black and blue. She turned her eyes to Ginny; bloody, filthy, and unconscious.

"Yes, sir," she said bobbing her head. She tapped something with her wand, and within seconds two men appeared with a stretcher. They laid Ginny upon it carefully and rushed off.

Harry grasped the stack of papers and quill in his hands, and staggered over to a small waiting area exhausted. He finished it, gave it to the nurse and returned to his seat. Daylight soon shone through the glass doors. A young male doctor walked over and sat across from Harry.

"Mr. Potter?" he questioned and Harry nodded his consent. "I'm Dr. McCaffrey, pleased to meet you," they shook hands and he continued. "I'm afraid we have some very, well, unfortunate news. All of Ginny's wounds were healed-" he had no chance to finish because of Harry's interruption.

"There's nothing bad about that! This is fantastic news!" he nearly shouted with a smile and eyes twinkling brightly.

"Mr. Potter, please, let me finish," Dr. McCaffrey said, with a pained expression.

"Oh. Right, sorry."

"Right. So, all of her wounds were healed, but there were some… complications. A poison was dripped into her wounds, causing her heart to slowly stop pumping. Had she been brought in sooner, or had we realized it sooner, her life would have been saved. It takes an hour at the least, but up to twenty-four hours. There was nothing we could do to stop it, I'm sorry," he said, bowing his head.

Bellatrix. She was the one who had poured the poison on Ginny. Harry stood, and angrily wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Bring me to her room now, please," he said emotionlessly.

The doctor looked sadly at the figure before him. The eyes, that had been so bright and filled with happiness just moments ago, were now full of misery. Eyes of deepest emerald, showed the anguish and pain he felt. DoctorMcCaffrey gave him a pat on the back.

"Let's go then," he said, heading off down a very white corridor. Harry trudged slowly down the hall, hands in pockets and eyes on the floor. They came to a stop outside a door with the number 446 in big silver letters.

"Well, here we are," said the doctor. He opened the door and ushered Harry inside. Harry lifted his head to see the beauty before him. Ginny was clean now, her skin silky and hair shining. She lay beneath pale blue covers wearing a white dressing gown. His eyes had not moved, and he did not notice the door shut with a low click behind him.

"Harry? Oh, I'm so glad you came," she said, beckoning him forward.

"Hi, Gin, how are you feeling?"

"Well, as good as to be expected I suppose. Please, will you take a seat?" she motioned for him to pull over a chair. As they chatted quietly about this and that, he noticed how very dark her eyes were, and the way her hair shimmered when the sun hit it just right. Her freckles stood out brightly against her fair skin, and how her pale pink lips were never locked together completely.

The chatter eventually slowed down to a halt. They sat there, in the peaceful silence, just soaking it up. Harry noticed her breathing was becoming shallow, and her face was getting paler. He turned his head to hide the tears forming in his eyes. She let out a cough, then another, before closing her eyes.

"Ginny, are you alright?"

Without opening her eyes she nodded her head. More silence then-

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Harry, I..." she whispered, reaching out for his hand, and grasping it tightly. She turned her head to him and opened her eyes.

"Yes?" he said kneeling at her side. He looked into the eyes of swirling chocolate, waiting for her to finish. She smiled but coughed, harder this time.

"Good-bye, Harry," she said giving him one last loving look. Her eyes closed, the life of her passing on like water through fingers. Harry looked at the silent figure before him, filled with many emotions; anger, regret, anguish, and lastly love. The tears, that had refused to fall earlier, came then, covering his face in salty wetness.

………

The sun was hidden behind a dark mass of clouds, that day. Harry stood among friends, schoolmates, and families, all of whom were solemn, teary-eyed, and quiet. Dumbledore was speaking to the group gathered before him.

"Today we honor our fallen heroine, Ginevra Weasley. One of the most intelligent ladies in our midst, she was devious, but kind. A young lady willing to do anything for family and friends, no matter what the cost. Alas, this time she paid with her life. I know everyone here will miss her dearly, and a small part of our hearts have died along with her.

"Ginny was that kind of girl, who could light up a room just by walking in. She was also that kind of girl you wouldn't want to cross when angry. She had a temper like her hair- firey. A young lady of her abilities and companionship is hard to find and will be surely missed. May her soul finally rest in peace."

As he stepped down, friends placed white roses at the foot of her coffin. Soon, only Harry and her family were left. Each placed their rose at the bottom of the coffin, their heads bowed in respect. Ron was last, and turned to face Harry. Harry shook his head slightly, and Ron nodded. Without a word, he turned back around and headed towards where his family waited patiently for him. They all apparated with a pop, leaving the cemetery silent and empty. Harry slowly made his way to the coffin, twirling a single red rose in his hand. He kneeled down beside the granite grey coffin. He stayed there, just staring. Harry blinked his eyes to rid them of the tears; they splashed gently onto the velvety rose petals.

"Ginny, I don't know if you can hear me, but I love you. You're the only one I'll ever love, and I was stupidnot to realize it before. There really isn't much to say, but that's just how I really feel."

By this time the sky had blackened without even a small ray of sunshine peeking through the dark clouds. Harry felt the raindrops fall; on his head, his back and shoulders, but he didn't move. When the first bolt of lightning struck, he placed his rose on top of all the other white ones. He stood up with wet clothes that clung tightly to his body.

"I'll be back soon, Ginny. You're always going to be with me." The figure, black against the gray sky, walked slowly away, before suddenly disappearing into thin air.

* * *

Okay. That was the first ending. The next one will be posted shortly. Hope you enjoyed it! Also, a very special thank you to Gamma, my beta, and awesome friend. This would not have been posted without his help (smiles).

-Theta (Remy)


End file.
